Russia continues to arrest protesters against Ukraine invasion
By Adam Schrader
MARCH 13, 2022 /

Protesters hold a large flag of Ukraine and umbrellas with the colors of the Ukraine Flag at a Close the Sky March Umbrella Rally in support of Ukraine in Times Square in New York City on Saturday. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

March 13 (UPI) -- Russia has continued to arrest protesters against the Ukraine invasion as tens of thousands of protesters demonstrated in cities across Europe on Sunday.

The extent of protests in Russia have been difficult to document since Russian President Vladimir Putin approved laws criminalizing speaking out against the Russian military and targeting journalists who report what the government considers to be "false news" about the invasion.

OVD-Info, an independent human rights watchdog in Russia, has reported that there were at least 866 arrests on Sunday and that there have been more than 14,000 people detained in cities across the country for anti-war action since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24.

Luka Zatravkin, the son of artist Nikas Safronov, was arrested in Moscow on Sunday for handcuffing himself to the entrance of a McDonald's restaurant while blaming Russia for their departure from the country, according to OVD-Info.

RELATED Passenger train with civilians fleeing eastern Ukraine comes under fire

McDonald's and Starbucks announced Tuesday that they would close all of their locations in Russia over the ongoing "humanitarian crisis" in Ukraine. McDonald's has more than 800 stores in the country after becoming the first American chain restaurant to open during the end of the Soviet Union.

"Now we are being deprived of the very ideas of democracy and the values of human rights, showing that freedom is a fiction. Because politicians from world powers can take away our freedoms with the stroke of a pen," Zatravkin said in a post to Telegram.

"This is a real genocide of the common people, who are going to create unbearable living conditions. Because along with violent prohibitions, all our moral and social postulates collapse."

Another man, a resident of St. Petersburg, was arrested for "Putin is a fascist!" messages at a war memorial honoring soldiers who died in the siege of Leningrad during World War II.

In a series of press releases, the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Russia has noted that those arrested and charged have all been found guilty of their offenses.

Bernard Smith, a reporter for Al-Jazeera, said in a report from the outlet that "it's very difficult for people to go to the streets and protest" and that one woman was dragged away while holding a blank piece of white paper.

"Anyone trying to go out or looking like a protester has been violently dragged away," Smith said.

In the Ukrainian city Kherson, which has been taken over by Russian forces, hundreds of demonstrators protested suspected Russian plans to turn the region into a breakaway republic, CNN reported.

Protesters waved Ukrainian flags and chanted anti-Russian slogans including "Kherson is Ukrainian" and "Russian soldiers are fascists."

Meanwhile, the nonprofit group Greenpeace estimated on Twitter that more than 125,000 people had protested on the streets of German cities on Sunday. More than 60,000 people were estimated to have protested in Berlin alone.

Protesters were seen carrying signs in English urging "Peace No War" and boycotts against Russian oil and gas, photos posted to social media show.

Russians Flock to Armenia Amid Ukraine War, Western Sanctions


Published on 08 March 2022
MassisPost
ARMERNIA

YEREVAN — Thousands of Russians, many of them tech professionals, have migrated to Armenia since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing tightening of Western sanctions against Moscow.

The unprecedented influx is particularly visible in the center of Yerevan where mostly young Russians can now be seen not only walking the streets and dining at restaurants but also queuing up in local banks or outside ATMs.

Virtually all migrants randomly interviewed by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service were information technology (IT) or finance specialists. Most of them gave economic reasons for their decision to leave Russia. Some said they decided to get out in protest against the Russian military assault ordered by President Vladimir Putin.

“I have come here to avoid problems with work and to make sure I’m in a calm state of mind,” said Ilya Kornienko, an ethnic Ukrainian from Moscow who arrived in Yerevan on Monday morning.

“Of course I’m upset,” he said when asked about the conflict in Ukraine. “It’s sad. I have relatives on both sides.”

Kornienko, who is currently staying in a local hotel, will be joined by his girlfriend later this month. He is already looking for an apartment.

Andranik Harutiunyan, a real estate agent, estimated that apartment rents in Yerevan have risen by 20 to 30 percent over the past week. “Demand [for housing] is very strong,” he said.

As 33 countries — including all 27 European Union member states — closed their airspace to Russian carriers late last month, Armenia became one of the few destinations still accessible for Russians keen to travel abroad. The South Caucasus state is Russia’s main regional ally and the majority of its citizens speak Russian.

On Monday alone, there were over two dozen commercial flights to Yerevan from Moscow and other Russian cities.

“My choice was between Armenia and Georgia, because those were the easiest destinations to reach as some airports had already been closed,” explained Alexei, another Muscovite. “Logistically, the easiest way for me was to get to Yerevan.”

Dmitry Kuzmin, a resident of Rostov-on-Don, a city in southern Russia close to the Ukrainian border, arrived in Armenia with his wife and children.

“One of the reasons for coming here is this troubled situation,” he said. “But we had long wanted to visit Yerevan.”

The sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union include measures aimed at restricting Russia’s access to high technology and complicating Russian companies’ financial transactions abroad.

“I have heard that many companies will be moving abroad in the near future, because doing business in Russia in spheres connected with import, export, finances is no longer possible,” said another arriving Russian, who chose not to disclose his identity.

Armenian Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan claimed on March 1 that Russian tech companies are already moving operations to Armenia to evade the Western sanctions. But he did not disclose their names or give other details.

The Armenian government appears to welcome the arrival of IT engineers and other skilled workers from Russia. The Ministry of Economy set up last week a working group tasked with helping them settle in the country.

The government has not yet ascertained the total number of Russians who have entered Armenia since Moscow launched its “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24.

“We will be able to talk about figures in about a week when things get calmer, but as of now we can say that some professionals from Russia have already got jobs in Armenia,” said Hayk Chobanyan, executive director of the Armenian Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises.

Armenia has a vibrant IT industry that has grown rapidly for nearly two decades. According to expert estimates, there were at least 2,000 vacancies in the sector before the coronavirus pandemic.

Not all of the arriving Russian nationals plan to stay in Armenia. As one of them put it, “Most likely I will stay here for a couple of months. After that I’ll get a job in Europe.”

Armenia’s Teghut Copper Mine to Suspend Operations



Published on11 March 2022
MassisPost

ARMENIA

YEREVAN — One of Armenia’s largest mining companies belonging to a Russian bank sanctioned by the West has decided to suspend production operations.

Several workers of the Teghut company told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Friday that they have been notified that they will receive two-thirds of their wages during a two-week leave that will start on Monday.

The workers, who did not want to be identified, said the company management has blamed the stoppage on the Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. They said they are therefore not sure they will return to work two weeks later.

Teghut is owned by VTB, one of seven Russian banks that have been excluded by the European Union from the SWIFT messaging system underpinning global financial transactions. Europe is the main market for copper and molybdenum ore concentrates exported by the company.

Teghut’s chief executive, Vladimir Nalivayko, insisted that the mining giant employing more than 1,100 people will be suspending operations in order to refurbish its waste disposal facility and a pipe feeding it.

In written comments to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, Nalivayko was not drawn on the impact of the sanctions on Teghut. He said only that the current “political-economic situation in the world” has disrupted the company’s supply chain.

Teghut mines copper and molybdenum in an eponymous deposit located in Armenia’s northern Lori province. It was the country’s tenth largest corporate taxpayer last year, with over 15 billion drams ($30 million) in various taxes contributed to the state budget.

VTB’s Armenian subsidiary took over Teghut in 2019 after its previous owner failed to repay a $400 million loan provided by the bank.

Two other, larger mining enterprises in Armenia are also owned by Russian firms.

Comparisons Between the Wars of Artsakh and Ukraine

Bombing damages in Artsakh and Ukraine

Published on13 March 2022
MassisPost
ARMENIA

The world’s attention continues to be focused on the events in Ukraine. The Russian army, albeit slowly, continues to make progress, but it is still a long way from achieving its main goals. The US administration, which in the early days of the war was predicting the imminent fall of the capital city of Kyiv, has now changed its tune and is talking about Russia’s eventual defeat. The West is trying to prevent the occupation of a sovereign state by a country with extensive stockpiles of nuclear weapons and to this end, is supplying large quantities of ammunition to the Ukrainian army, which has been able to resist better-armed Russian troops for more than two weeks now.

The widespread support of Ukraine by the Western powers and the focus of the international media on the human tragedies of the war, make, Armenians wonder why the world was silent when Azerbaijan, with the help of Turkey, unleashed a war against the Republic of Artsakh, killing thousands and causing destruction and displacement.

Such application of double standards is not new by big powers, who are always driven by their own political and economic interests. The South Caucasus was of little interest to the West and saw it as a Russian zone of influence. On the other hand, during the Artsakh war, Russia’s interests coincided, to some extent, with the interests of Azerbaijan and Turkey, to which Artsakh and Armenia fell victims.

There is also another important distinction which we should take into consideration. As unpleasant as it is for us to accept, Baku managed to convince the world that the seven regions around Nagorno-Karabakh were “occupied territories” that were to be returned to Azerbaijan. During the past twenty years, all the proposals for a peaceful settlement by the Minsk Group, chaired by Russia, the United States, and France, included provisions for the return of these seven regions to Azerbaijan. Successive Armenian governments also accepted this principle, but did not have the courage to take practical steps in that direction. The only one who was ready to return some territories in exchange for peace, was the first president Levon Der-Bedrosian, who was forced to resign for suggesting a compromise solution for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. When Kocharyan came to power, followed by the Sargsyan administration, they both tried to pursue a policy of buying time, thinking that the “no war, no peace” situation could be prolonged forever. This strategy could have been successful, pushing Azerbaijan to come to terms with the existing status, if Armenia maintained a superior army or at least a balance of power with Azerbaijan.

The course and the outcome of the 44-day war showed that the modernization of the Armenian army during these two administrations was severely flawed. During those years, Azerbaijan spent eight times more on its army than the Armenian side. No matter how much it is said that Azerbaijan is an oil-producing country and has greater financial resources, we must also acknowledge that Armenia could have done more to strengthen its armed forces if corruption was not as widespread and rampant. It was obvious to everyone, that state funds were being wasted to accumulate personal wealth and to build huge mansions, instead of strengthening the capabilities of the armed forces to withstand the enemy’s ambitions.

The events unfolding around Ukraine should drive us to be much more realistic and far-sighted. Armenia cannot rely on other nations to defend its borders. It must pursue the goal of modernizing its army and strengthening its capabilities. At the same time, Armenia must be able to establish normal relations with neighboring countries without compromising its national interests.

This is the direction being taken by the current Armenian government and we should support it.

K. KHODANIAN
“MASSIS”

SA deputy foreign minister supports Ukrainians’ right to sovereignty, territory and peace – Swedish ambassador
South Africa’s deputy minister of international relations and cooperation, Alvin Botes, at the Olof Palme gravesite in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo: Supplied)

By Peter Fabricius
DAILY MAVERICK
13 Mar 2022 

South Africa’s deputy minister of international relations and cooperation, Alvin Botes, received 'warm applause' in Stockholm last week when he expressed strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, according to the Swedish ambassador to South Africa, Håkan Juholt.

Alvin Botes was on a working visit to Sweden and Norway that included political, trade and climate consultations with his counterparts in both governments as well as meetings with business leaders and investors.

Håkan Juholt said Botes had spent almost a day at the Olof Palme International Center in Stockholm, at his gravesite and at the place where he was murdered in the capital in 1986. Palme, the Social Democratic prime minister at the time of his death, had been a very vocal critic and instigator of sanctions against the apartheid regime and had made Sweden one of the main supporters and financiers of the liberation struggle. The apartheid government was widely suspected of being behind his killing. But no one was ever charged for the murder, which remains a mystery.

Juholt told Daily Maverick that at a reception that evening at the Olof Palme centre attended by many of the strongest supporters of Sweden’s anti-apartheid movement, “Botes was so clear on support for Ukrainian sovereignty and that the war is a violation of international law and the UN Charter.

“He had warm applause when he said that Ukrainian integrity must be respected and that the war is a violation of Ukrainian sovereignty. He was very outspoken, saying the Ukrainians had the right to live in peace, they had the right to their sovereignty and their territorial integrity.”

Juholt said Botes had also confirmed that the statement issued by South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation on the day of the invasion, calling on Russia to withdraw its forces and respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, still stood.

Juholt added that in the political consultations, Sweden made it very clear to Botes that:

“This is not in any way a complicated conflict. It’s armed aggression orchestrated by a dictator of an authoritarian regime attacking a democratic state, where you have free press, right to vote, right to express yourself.

“And it is that that is attacked. Not primarily an attack on Ukraine. It’s an attack on those values. Russia cannot accept that those values are getting closer to the Russian border. Everything we take for granted.

“The lovely South African Constitution. Most of that would not be legal, just to advocate it in Russia. People say it’s a complicated conflict. No, no, not at all. I’ve heard so many saying that there’s nostalgic support for Russia supporting the ANC in the liberation struggle.

“That’s historical revisionism. Russia as a state was established one year after Nelson Mandela was released. Nelson Mandela was walking on the streets of Cape Town, even visiting Stockholm, one year before Russia became a state.

“I attended a meeting with Mandela in the Swedish Parliament in 1990. So the support [to the liberation struggle] was given by the Ukrainians and all other parts of the Soviet Union. So we have been very clear. The war is a violation of international law, of the UN Charter. So everyone must ask themselves: ‘Who’s next to be attacked?’” DM

WAR IN EUROPE OP-ED
You are cordially invited to the inaugural George Orwell Ukraine Study Tour
(Photo: Portrait of George Orwell from areomagazine.com) | Protest poster against Russian invasion of Ukraine in Pretoria by Alet Pretorius)

By Greg Rosenberg
DAILY MAVRICK, SA

13 Mar 2022 0

Study the contemporary masters as they put Orwell’s ideas on language and society into practice.


Dear friend,

You are cordially invited to join us for the inaugural George Orwell Ukraine Study Tour. Our newest offering provides a unique perspective on recent European events through the eyes of the author of Animal Farm and 1984. It builds on our wildly productive annual Orwell sojourns to Washington, DC, Beijing, London, Paris, Berlin and Brussels.

Given the current unpleasantness associated with the special military operation to defend the Donbass republics, the tour will circumvent Kyiv in favour of several other cities where participants can study the classics, along with an exciting new southern hemisphere destination: Pretoria!

This tour will explore several themes linked to Orwell’s writings on language and society through an in situ examination of the innovative work of contemporary masters.


Theme 1: “Political language … is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” (Politics and the English Language).

We start in picturesque Antalya, where Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week uttered these memorable words: “We have not invaded Ukraine. In Ukraine, we are simply… we have explained it many times”. He went on to state that all the fuss about Mariupol’s maternity hospital was “pathetic shouting”: the hospital was empty of patients and full of Ukrainian militants when Russia bombed it.

What can one say about a man at the peak of his powers, apart from noting that he maintained a straight face throughout?

Theme 2: “The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth.” (1984).

What better place to observe the Russian masters than from the banks of the Volga?

Vladimir Putin’s 21 February address provides a unique insight into the mindset of the Russian president and the siloviki. It’s particularly notable for its brazen rewriting of history, as in: “Since time immemorial, the people living in the south-west of what has historically been Russian land have called themselves Russians and Orthodox Christians.”

With this one sentence, Putin manages to echo the tsars, promote his own imperial ambition and erase Ukraine’s sovereignty. Would it be churlish to note that since at least the 9th century, millions of Ukrainian Jews never did quite consider themselves Orthodox Christians? Discuss.

In cross-fertilisation with Theme 1, we will also explore Putin’s artful claim that Moscow is out to “demilitarise and denazify Ukraine”.

Contrast this with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s remarks from central Kyiv, where he stated, “We are all here. Our soldiers are here. The citizens are here, and we are here. We defend our independence. That’s how it’ll go.” Zelensky, who is Jewish, clearly has no appreciation for the Orwellian lexicon.

Special offer for Moscow: Sign up by 15 March and receive a tour-branded wheelbarrow, which can be used to transport large quantities of rubles to purchase teas, light meals, and sumptuous dinners at recommended restaurants!

Theme 3: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” (1984).

A merry romp through the offices of the Russian media establishment. With caviar and vodka!

Theme 4: “Political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness.” (Politics and the English Language).

Take a break from cold, grey Europe to enjoy the sunny skies of South Africa.

In his 7 March missive on “the conflict” between Russia and Ukraine, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declared that “South Africa is firmly on the side of peace”. As you pause to catch your breath, consider how this statement reaffirms the popular view in domestic policy circles that South Africa “punches above its weight”.

The president followed this stirring clarion call with an explanation: “South Africa abstained from voting in last week’s United Nations resolution on the escalating conflict between Russia and its neighbour Ukraine because the resolution did not foreground the call for meaningful engagement.” A few days later, Ramaphosa tweeted that he was “thanking His Excellency President Vladimir Putin for taking my call … so I could gain an understanding of the situation that was unfolding between Russia and Ukraine”.

Notice how the word “invasion” does not appear even once. Understated, but powerful! In short, South Africa offers the opportunity for a masterclass in euphemism, homily and platitude. During regular power cuts, the president’s inspirational words can light up your day.

Theme 5: “Intellectual honesty is a crime in any totalitarian country; but even in England it is not exactly profitable to speak and write the truth.” (Orwell on Truth).

How true – but it is profitable to launder money for Russian billionaires! Enjoy a jolly afternoon with drinks on the banks of the Thames. Meet with cash-flush law firms, PR agencies and estate agents who help keep the wheels of this industry turning.

Special offer – act now!: Orwell fans will recall that 1984 was set in London. Sign up by 15 March and get a T-shirt emblazoned with this brilliant quote from the novel: “It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.”

Slightly off-topic, but still in the region, the tour concludes with a flyover of Snake Island, whose border guards provided the world with a vivid and memorable lesson in the honest, exclamatory sentence. DM

Greg Rosenberg is the co-author of Become a Better Writer: How to Write with Clarity and Simplicity (Clarity Global).

US photojournalist Juan Arredondo injured during attack in Ukraine that killed filmmaker Brent Renaud

Alex Woodward 1 day ago

THE INDEPENDENT, UK

Two other journalists were injured in an attack that killed an award-winning American documentary filmmaker in Ukraine on 13 March, according to Kyiv region police in Ukraine.

© via REUTERS A U.S. journalist receives medical attention after being shot and wounded in the town of Irpin, at a hospital in Kyiv

US photojournalist Juan Arredondo, an adjunct professor at Columbia Journalism School in New York City, described being shot while traveling with a group of foreign journalists through a checkpoint in nearby Irpin while on the way to film refugees fleeing the city during the Russian assault.

Wounded reporter tells how former New York Times filmmaker was shot dead by Russian forces in Irpin

“We were across one of the first bridges in Irpin, going to film other refugees leaving, and we got into a car,” he said in a video from an Italian news agency and shared by Ukrainian officials on Sunday.

“Somebody offered to take us to the other bridge and we crossed a checkpoint, and they started shooting at us,” he said. “So the driver turned around, and they kept shooting. There was two of us, my friend Brent Renaud, and he’s been shot and left behind. … I saw he was shot in the neck.”

Another video from a reporter with German newspaper Bild shows Ukrainian medics carrying Mr Arredondo on a stretcher as he held his camera on his chest.

A third victim traveling in the same car was also wounded, according to Kyiv authorities.

Ukrainian officials have blamed Russian forces for the attack near a bridge leading from Irpin into Bucha, which is occupied by Russian troops.

A statement from Columbia Journalism School dean Steve Coll to CNN said the university does not have “any independent information [about Mr Arredondo’s] injuries at this time but are working now to learn more and to see if we can help.”

Mr Arredondo, like Renaud, was among the 2019 fellows at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.

His work has appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications.

According to his Instagram, Mr Arredondo recently photographed Ukrainian volunteers cutting cloth to make camouflage nets.
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Renaud is believed to be the second journalist killed in Ukraine, after camera operator Yevhenii Sakun was killed on 1 March, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

“We are shocked and saddened to learn of the death of US journalist Brent Renaud in Ukraine. This kind of attack is totally unacceptable, and is a violation of international law,” the organisation’s programme director Carlos Martinez de la Serna said in a statement. “Russian forces in Ukraine must stop all violence against journalists and other civilians at once, and whoever killed Renaud should be held to account.”

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said his killing is “shocking and horrifying.”

“We’ll be consulting with the Ukrainians to determine how this happened and then to measure and execute appropriate consequences as a result of it,” he told CBS News on Sunday. “I will just say that this is part and parcel of what has been a brazen aggression on the part of the Russians where they have targeted civilians, they have targeted hospitals, they have targeted places of worship and they have targeted journalists.”

Anthony Bellanger, general secretary for the International Federation of Journalists, said the deaths of Brent Renaud and Yevhenii Sakun “cannot go unpunished.”

“The authorities must do everything possible to identify the perpetrators of these war crimes,” he said in a statement.”

“These systematic attacks on journalists and other war crimes require a strong response from the international community,” added European Federations of Journalists general secretary Ricardo Gutierrez.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.

OBITUARY
Brent Renaud, journalist killed in Ukraine, was an acclaimed filmmaker and producer

Arkansas native was gathering material for report about refugees when he was gunned down by Russian soldiers near Kyiv

By PAMELA SAMPSON

TIMES OF ISRAEL

13 March 2022

Brent Renaud attends the 74th Annual Peabody Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on May 31, 2015, in New York. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

Brent Renaud, an acclaimed filmmaker who traveled to some of the darkest and most dangerous corners of the world for documentaries that transported audiences to little-known places of suffering, died Sunday after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle in Ukraine.

The 50-year-old Little Rock, Arkansas, native was gathering material for a report about refugees when his vehicle was hit at a checkpoint in Irpin, just outside the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said the area has sustained intense shelling by Russian forces in recent days.

Renaud was one of the most respected independent producers of his era, said Christof Putzel, a filmmaker and close friend who had received a text from Renaud just three days before his death. Renaud and Putzel won a 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University journalism award for “Arming the Mexican Cartels,” a documentary on how guns trafficked from the United States fueled rampant drug gang violence.

“This guy was the absolute best,” Putzel told The Associated Press via phone from New York City. ”He was just the absolute best war journalist that I know. This is a guy who literally went to every conflict zone.”

The details of Renaud’s death were not made immediately clear by Ukrainian authorities, but American journalist Juan Arredondo said the two had been traveling in a vehicle toward the Irpin checkpoint when they were both shot. Arredondo, speaking from a hospital in Kyiv, told Italian journalist Annalisa Camilli that Renaud was hit in the neck. Camilli told the AP that Arredondo himself had been hit in the lower back.

“We crossed the first bridge in Irpin, we were going to film other refugees leaving, and we got into a car, somebody offered to take us to the other bridge, we crossed the checkpoint, and they started shooting at us,” Arredondo told Camilli in a video interview shared with the AP.

The press card of New York Times journalist and US citizen Brent Renaud, who was shot by Russian troops in Irpin, March 13, 2022. (Screen grab/Facebook)

A statement from Kyiv regional police said that Russian troops opened fire on the car. Hours after the shooting of Renaud, Irpin mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said journalists would be denied entry to the city.

“In this way, we want to save the lives of both them and our defenders,” Markushyn said.

Responding to news of Renaud’s death, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists called for an immediate halt to violence against journalists and other civilians.

“This kind of attack is totally unacceptable, and is a violation of international law,” the committee said on Twitter.

Along with his brother Craig, Renaud won a Peabody Award for “Last Chance High,” an HBO series about a school for at-risk youth on Chicago’s West Side. The brothers’ litany of achievements include two duPont-Columbia journalism awards and acclaimed productions for HBO, NBC, Discovery, PBS, the New York Times, and Vice News.

Peabody Award Recipients Craig Renaud, left, and Brent Renaud attend the 74th Annual Peabody Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on May 31, 2015, in New York. 

(Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Renaud was also a 2019 Nieman fellow at Harvard and served as visiting distinguished professor for the Center for Ethics in Journalism at University of Arkansas. He and his brother founded the Little Rock Film Festival.

Among other assignments, Renaud covered wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the devastating 2011 earthquake in Haiti, political turmoil in Egypt and Libya, and extremism in Africa.

Putzel, who worked with Renaud for 12 years, paid tribute to his courage and passion.

“Nowhere was too dangerous,” Putzel said. “It was his bravery, but also because he deeply, deeply cared.”

He is survived by his brother Craig, Craig’s wife, Mami, and a nephew, 11-year-old Taiyo.

Ukraine’s energy minister says power has been restored at Chernobyl nuclear plant.

March 13, 2022,
Jesus Jiménez

A monument in front of the giant protective dome built over the sarcophagus of the destroyed fourth reactor of Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as seen in a photograph from 2020.

Credit...Genya Savilov/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Ukraine’s energy minister said Sunday that power supply has been restored at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which Russian troops have occupied since late February.

Ukrainian government officials had said Wednesday that damage by Russian forces had “disconnected” the plant from outside electricity, leaving the site dependent on power from diesel generators and backup supplies.

In a post on Facebook, Ukraine’s energy minister, Herman Galushchenko said that the plant was no longer on backup power and had resumed operating under normal conditions. He praised Ukrainian power engineers for risking their lives to “avert the risk of a possible nuclear catastrophe.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency said last week that there was no need for immediate alarm over the condition of the decommissioned plant but that the situation around the site remained a source of grave concern.

In an update on Saturday, Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the I.A.E.A., said he had received a letter from the plant’s operator saying that about 400 Russian soldiers were “present full time on site” and that the plant was under control of Russian forces. Mr. Grossi expressed concern that the Chernobyl plant’s 211-member staff had not been able to rotate shifts since Feb. 23, a day before Russian forces occupied the site.

Mr. Galushchenko on Sunday called on the European Commission, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to help Ukraine protect its nuclear facilities.

“It is now imperative to force the enemy to leave the nuclear power plant and establish a 30-kilometer demilitarized zone around Ukraine’s nuclear facilities,” he said.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for CHERNOBYL 

Ukrainians protest on streets of Russian-occupied city of Kherson

Russian forces took control of Kherson, in the south of Ukraine close to the Black Sea coast, more than a week ago

People protest in Kherson. Picture: Artem Ivanov/PA

SUN, 13 MAR, 2022 - 20:04

LOTTIE KILRAINE AND ALISTAIR MASON, PA

Protesters in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Kherson have taken to the streets in support of president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Artem Ivanov, 42, said Russian soldiers shot bullets into the air as people congregated in the city centre at midday on Sunday.

“There were a lot of people, around 5,000, although I can’t say exactly because it was too difficult to calculate,” the teacher said.

“The people held Ukrainian flags and posters with the words ‘Russian soldiers go back home’ and ‘we support President Zelenskyy’.

“The Russian soldiers were shooting at the air but the Kherson people did not stop and just continued protesting.”

Russian forces took control of Kherson, in the south of Ukraine close to the Black Sea coast, more than a week ago.

Artem Ivanov (left) and his wife Olena Ivanova (middle) and their three children (Artem Ivanov/PA)

According to Mr Ivanov, no-one was hurt during Sunday’s protest, but Russian soldiers began shooting into the air in a bid to disperse them.

“People were so angry and a lot of the Russian soldiers were blocking the street and trying to stop the meeting,” he said.

“The people living in Kherson are not supporting the Russian Federation and the soldiers, we want to be part of Ukraine.”

Mr Ivanov said he gave his wife Olena Ivanova and their three children the option to leave the city as the conflict in Ukraine worsened, but the family chose to stay together.

“At the beginning (of the occupation) when there was shooting by Russian soldiers it was very scary here inside the city,” he said.

“Even around 300 metres outside of our building it was destroyed by the shooting, all in front of my own eyes.

Artem Ivanov said that the Russian soldiers occupying the city have little support from the local people (Artem Ivanov/PA)

“Every day my wife goes out and photographs what is happening to the city.

“It has been very scary and demotivating thinking about how I am going to be able to protect my family.”

Mr Ivanov said that the Russian soldiers occupying the city have had little support from the local people and appear to be “confused”.

“I saw in their eyes that they’re confused and you can tell they don’t really know anything about what’s going on,” he said.

“They seem like they are demotivated and are very confused, but I just don’t know.

“The Russian government is lying to its soldiers and saying they will make friends here, but nobody supports them.

“They have been told to attack the civilians and some of them don’t like to do it. I’m not defending them but I can see what is happening.”

Exclusive-Ukraine has started using Clearview AI’s facial recognition during war

By Paresh Dave and Jeffrey Dastin 

© Reuters/VALENTYN OGIRENKO FILE PHOTO: Members of the Territorial Defence Force stand guard at a check point in central Kyiv

(Reuters) - Ukraine's defense ministry on Saturday began using Clearview AI’s facial recognition technology, the company's chief executive told Reuters, after the U.S. startup offered to uncover Russian assailants, combat misinformation and identify the dead.

Ukraine is receiving free access to Clearview AI’s powerful search engine for faces, letting authorities potentially vet people of interest at checkpoints, among other uses, added Lee Wolosky, an adviser to Clearview and former diplomat under U.S. presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

The plans started forming after Russia invaded Ukraine and Clearview Chief Executive Hoan Ton-That sent a letter to Kyiv offering assistance, according to a copy seen by Reuters.

Clearview said it had not offered the technology to Russia, which calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation."

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense did not reply to requests for comment. Previously, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation said it was considering offers from U.S.-based artificial intelligence companies like Clearview. Many Western businesses have pledged to help Ukraine, providing internet hardware, cybersecurity tools and other support.

The Clearview founder said his startup had more than 2 billion images from the Russian social media service VKontakte at its disposal, out of a database of over 10 billion photos total.

That database can help Ukraine identify the dead more easily than trying to match fingerprints and works even if there is facial damage, Ton-That wrote. Research for the U.S. Department of Energy found decomposition reduced the technology’s effectiveness while a paper from a 2021 conference showed promising results.

Ton-That's letter also said Clearview's technology could be used to reunite refugees separated from their families, identify Russian operatives and help the government debunk false social media posts related to the war.

The exact purpose for which Ukraine's defense ministry is using the technology is unclear, Ton-That said. Other parts of Ukraine's government are expected to deploy Clearview in the coming days, he and Wolosky said.

The VKontakte images make Clearview's dataset more comprehensive than that of PimEyes, a publicly available image search engine that people have used to identify individuals in war photos, Wolosky said. VKontakte did not immediately respond to a request for comment; U.S. social media company Facebook, now Meta Platforms Inc, had demanded Clearview stop taking its data.

At least one critic says facial recognition could misidentify people at checkpoints and in battle. A mismatch could lead to civilian deaths, just like unfair arrests have arisen from police use, said Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project in New York.

“We’re going to see well-intentioned technology backfiring and harming the very people it’s supposed to help,” he said.

Ton-That said Clearview should never be wielded as the sole source of identification and that he would not want the technology to be used in violation of the Geneva Conventions, which created legal standards for humanitarian treatment during war.

Like other users, those in Ukraine are receiving training and have to input a case number and reason for a search before queries, he said.

Clearview, which primarily sells to U.S. law enforcement, is fighting lawsuits in the United States accusing it of violating privacy rights by taking images from the web. Clearview contends its data gathering is similar to how Google search works. Still, several countries including the United Kingdom and Australia have deemed its practices illegal.

Cahn described identifying the deceased as probably the least dangerous way to deploy the technology in war, but he said that “once you introduce these systems and the associated databases to a war zone, you have no control over how it will be used and misused.”

(Reporting by Paresh Dave Oakland, Calif. and Jeffrey Dastin in Palo Alto, Calif.; Additional reporting by Elizabeth Culliford; Editing by Kenneth Li and Lisa Shumaker)